Justice Baraka Wali of Katsina State High Court, on Friday struck out
a suit filed by the Trustees of the Evangelical Church Winning All
(ECWA) and Stefanos Foundation against the conversion of a girl, Habiba
Ishaku, to Islam.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the girl had eloped,
embraced Islam and married one Jamilu Lawal in Wawarkaza village of
Kankara Local Government Area, Katsina State.

Her father, Mr Ishaku Tanko, Stefanos Foundation and the Church went
to the court seeking to annul the decision, claiming that the girl is a
minor.

Respondents in the case were the Katsina State Government, Katsina Emirate Council and the girl’s husband, Jamilu Lawal.

NAN also reports that the girl had, however, written a letter to the
court to disassociate herself from the suit purportedly instituted on
her behalf.

She denied being a minor and put her age at 18 as at the time she embraced Islam and got married.

During the Friday proceedings, Justice Wali, stuck out the case while
ruling on a “notification letter of discontinuation of the suit” sent
to the court by the plaintiffs’ counsel, Mr Bawa Yakubu.

She said that the letter indicated an amicable settlement of the
matter between all the parties involved following the intervention of
Gov. Aminu Masari.

“An applicant has right to file a case or withdraw it’’, she said,
and ordered the applicants to pay N10,000 cost to Jamilu Lawal, for
withdrawing the suit.

The judge, however, turned down the prayer of counsel to Habiba’s
husband, Mr Bako Nasir, which asked the court to issue a proactive order
that would prevent police from arresting and intimidating his client in
connection with the case.